Nuclear
artillery was both developed and deployed by a small group of
nations, including the USA, USSR, France and India. The
United Kingdom planned and partially developed such weapon systems
(the Blue water missile and the
Yellow Anvil artillery shell) but did not proceed to production
systems. A second group of nations has derivative association with
nuclear artillery. They had nuclear artillery units but used
nuclear weapons provided by the developing nations. These nuclear
weapons were held by the developing nation's custodial units
stationed with the secondary nations' nuclear artillery units. The
custodial units held the nuclear weapons until they were released
for use.

This secondary group includes such NATO countries as Belgium,
Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and the United
Kingdom.

United States nuclear artillery

The US development resulted in a number of test weapons. Delivery
systems used by the US Field Artillery include, in approximate
order of development:

The first
artillery test was on May 25, 1953 at the Nevada Test Site. Fired as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole and
codenamed Shot
GRABLE, a 280 mm (11 inch) shell with a gun-type fission warhead was fired
10,000 m (6.2 miles) and detonated 160 m (525 ft) above the ground
with an estimated yield of 15 kilotons. This
was the only nuclear artillery shell ever actually fired in the US
test program. The shell was 1384 mm (4.5 ft) long and weighed
365 kg (805 lb); it was fired from a special artillery piece,
nicknamed "Atomic Annie", built by the Artillery Test Unit of Fort
Sill, Oklahoma. Around 3,200 personnel were present. The warhead
was designated the W9 and 80
were produced from 1952-53 for the T-124 shell. It was retired in
1957.

Development work continued and resulted in the W19. A 280 mm shell, it
was a longer version of the W9. Only 80 warheads were produced and
the system was retired in 1963 with the development of the W48 warhead.

The W48 was 846 mm long and weighed 58 kg; it could be
fitted in a 155 mm M-45 AFAP (artillery fired atomic
projectile) and used in a more standard 155 mm howitzer. The
fission warhead was a linear implosion type, consisting of
a long cylinder of subcritical mass which is compressed and shaped
by explosive into a supercritical sphere. The W48 yielded just 72
tons TNT equivalent.

The W48 went into production from 1963; and 135 examples of the Mod
0 variant were built up to 1968 when it was retired. It was
replaced by the Mod 1 which was manufactured from 1965 up until
1969; 925 of this type were made.

Only one type of artillery round other than the W48 was produced in
large numbers, the W33 for use
in a 203 mm shell. Around 2,000 warheads of this type were
manufactured from 1957-65. Each XM422 projectile was 940 mm
long and had an as-fired weight of 243 pounds. (the standard HE
shell weighed some 90 kg). XM422 were fitted with a triple
deck mechanical time base fuze. They were fired from a standard
8-inch (203 mm) howitzer, either the towed M115 or
self-propelled M110. In some NATO armies these were in specialist
units.

The W33's four yields were greater than the W48's. M422 projectiles
were assembled in the field to provide the required yield, three
yielding 5 to 10 kilotons and one 40 kilotons. There was also a
ballistically matched spotting round (HES M424) and a special white
bag charge system, M80, comprising charges 1 - 3. The M423
ordinance training round and the associated "bird cages" can be
seen at the National Atomic Museum at Albquerque, NM.

Efforts were made to update the warheads: the 203 mm (8-inch)
W74 was developed from around 1970, intended to
have a yield of 100 tons or higher; it was canceled in 1973. A
further development program began in the 1980s: the W82, for the XM-785 (a 155 mm shell), was intended
to yield up to 2 kilotons with an enhanced
radiation capability. Development was halted in 1983. A W82-1
fission only type was designed but finally cancelled in 1990.

Other developments also continued. In 1958 a fusion warhead was developed and tested, the
UCRL Swift. It was 622 mm long, 127 mm diameter,
and weighed 43.5 kg. At its test it yielded only 190 tons; it
failed to achieve fusion and only the initial fission explosion
worked correctly. There are unconfirmed reports that work on
similar concepts continued into the 1970s and resulted in a
one-kiloton warhead design for 5-inch (127 mm) naval gun
rounds; these, however, were never deployed as operational
weapons.

As well as linear implosion devices, the US developed a spherical
implosion device that was very close to the theoretical lower limit
of nuclear weapon yield and size. The Mk-54 Davy Crockett
was designed to be fired from the M-388 recoilless rifle. Weighing only 23 kg,
the warhead in its casing was 400 mm by 273 mm. It was
first tested in October 1958 as part of Operation Hardtack and yielded 10
tons, but later developments increased that to 1 kiloton. 400 Mk-54
warheads were produced from 1961-65 and the last was withdrawn in
1971. The warhead was also adapted for the Mk-54 SADM (Special Atomic Demolition
Munition), a cylinder 40 cm by 60 cm and weighing
68 kg. It was emplaced by hand and initiated by a mechanical
timer, it had a variable yield from 10 tons up to 1 kiloton. 300
SADMs were made and they remained in the US arsenal until
1989.

In 1991 the US unilaterally withdrew its nuclear artillery shells
from service, and Russia responded in kind in 1992. The US removed
around 1,300 nuclear shells from Europe and reportedly dismantled
its last shells by 2003. Focus has since moved to development of
nuclear bunker buster
munitions.

USSR nuclear artillery

Soviet nuclear artillery was operated by the Rocket Troops and
Artillery branch of the Soviet Ground Forces. Delivery units
existed from Tank and Motor Rifle Divisions up to Front level. The
control and custody of nuclear weapons is the responsibility of the
12th Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defence and its special
units.

Initially the USSR concentrated on developing and deploying
battlefield nuclear weapons delivered by rockets and missiles. The
original systems, T5 and T7 developed through several versions. The
delivery systems were:

T5 Luna (NATO FROG 7) free flight rocket

T7 (NATO SS-1 Scud) missile

9M76 Temp (NATO SS-12 Scaleboard) missile

Tochka (NATO SS-21 Scarab) missile

(NATO SS-22) missile

9M714 Oka (NATO SS-23 Spider) missile

The first Soviet nuclear projectile "Capacitor" for the 406 mm
gun SM-54 (2А3) was released in 1956. A mortar projectile was
produced in 1957 for 420 mm breech-loading smoothbore
self-propelled mortar 2B2 Oka - "Transformer". Testing revealed
critical operational defects in both systems and they were not put
into production.

The first nuclear weapon, ZBV3, for use in 152 mm artillery
shells was accepted in 1965. Other shell designs followed using
existing and new technology.

The Soviet approach to nuclear artillery was that munitions should
be fired by guns and howitzers, without any special modifications,
in normal artillery units.

French nuclear artillery

French nuclear artillery was provided by Artillery Regiments
equipped with the Pluton missile
system from 1975 to 1993 and by its successor the longer-ranged
Hadès missile from 1991 to
1996.

NATO nuclear artillery units

Belgium, Canada, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, and
the United Kingdom provided artillery units trained in the correct
handling and operation of nuclear weapons and in some cases
specialist logistic and security units. Their allocated nuclear
weapons were in the custody of US Army Artillery Groups (USAAG)
with subordinate US Army Field Artillery Detachments (USAFAD)
assigned to the national artillery units. The Groups were part of
the 59th Ordnance Brigade.

In fiction

In the real-time strategy Command & Conquer:
Generals, the Chinese faction is known for its advanced nuclear
technology, including nuclear-powered tanks, and a self-propelled
artillery that fires tactical nuclear warheads over long distances.
In the expansion pack, the cannon can also be loaded with "Neutron
Shells" that create a burst of intense neutron radiation on impact,
instantly killing infantry and vehicle crews but leaving vehicles
intact with no damage from the radiation. Interestingly, the icon
of the unit in the user interface is a slightly enhanced version of
the Upshot-Knothole test, as seen on the top of this
page.

In the Hasbro's G.I.JOE toyline in 1989 there is a version of
"Atomic Annie" called Thunderclap:
http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/89/thunderclap/

In Fallout 3 The "Fat Man" tactical
man-portable nuclear catapult and the prototype MIRV variant are
capable of delivering extremely low yield "mini-nukes" with
moderate range and accuracy to a target.